Secrecy telephone system.



No. 685,7!5. Patented-Oct. 29, mm.

F. A. cummas.

'SECRECY TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

(Application fllqd Apr. 19, 1901.)

(N6 Model.)

witmwwis flljcuu. 2 wa.s

w: nonms PETiRS co nonhuman WASNINGYON. n. c

NITED STATES PATENT Orrron.

FRANK A. CUMINGS, OF GREEltSVILLE, OHIO, ASSIG NOR OF ONE-HALF TO WVILSON MORRIS, OF LOUDONVILLE, OHIO.

SECRECYTELEPHQNE SYSTEM.

srncrmoazrrolvrorming item; or Letters Patent Ito. 635,715, dated October 29, 1901.

Application filed April 19, 1901.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LFRANK A. CUM1Nos,a citizen of the United States, residing at Greersville, in the county of Knox and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful I mprovements injSecrecy Telephone Systems; and I do declare the following to-be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe artto which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to secrecy telephone systems, and has for its object the production of two mutually-connected switches independent of the usual set of instruments now furnished the users and operated partly by the movement of the hook-lever of the magneto,which may be applied, if necessary,without changing the original instruments materially and by means of which the line-wires extending either to right or left may be grounded through the telephone-receiver at the will of the operator, the normal positions of the parts permitting the call-bell to'be rung from either direction.

Each constituent'element of my invention is described in detail and its individual office, together with the mode of operation of the whole, fully explained hereinbelow.

Of the accompanying drawings, throughout which like characters refer to like parts, Figure 1 is a diagram of the connections; Fig. 2, a front View of a telephone with my invention attached, and Fig. 3 a side View of the coupling device.

In the views shown numeral 1 marks the wall-board, 2 the battery-box, 3 the transmitter, 4; the magneto-case, and 5 the hooklever by means of which the receiver 6 is suspended, all of the customary construction and arrangement.

From the hook-lever 5 there extends upwardly a connecting-rod 7, provided at its lower end with a coupling device 8, which enables the rod to be pivotall'y shackled to the hook-lever. At the upper end the rod is pivotally joined to the arm 9 of the lower of left can hear the message the two connected switches constituting my Serial No. 56,551. (No model.)

invention. Switch-arm 9 is aconductoi and is pivoted upon the pin 10. Contacts 11 and 12 are met and joined by arm 9 when in its lower and normal position, as delineated. A wire 13 joins switch-arms 9 and 14, the last number relating to the top or grounding switch, of which plates 15 and 16 are the contacts. I do not confine myself to the precise form shown for the rod and arms, but may vary the same forsuitable reasons.

Considering thediagram, Fig. 1, the connections may be followed. Line-wire 17 enters on the left to contact15 Thence the circuit is by wire 18 to contact 11, along arm 9 to contact 12 and through the bell 19 and magneto 20, by way of the connecting-wire 21 and contact 16, to the right-hand line-wire 22. From the rightcall-currents would pass through the same conductors in reverse order. To explain the operation of my invention,

let it be assumed that it is desired to speak ing the receiver 6 from book 5 a circluit is established from the right line-wire 22 by contact 16, arm 14, wire 13, connecting the two arms, across arm 9, by Wire 23 to receiver 6, thence by wire 24 to hook-arm 5, and thence by wire 25 through secondary coil 26 to ground G. Under these conditions no one on the If any intermediate operator removes his receiver from its hook, he breaks the circuit; but the uppermost switch-arm 14. being in the interrupters instrument in contact with either the right or the left line-wire from his location he is thus brought into communication with one or the other of the original parties and may be asked to hang up his receiver and withdraw. The speaker to the right must bring his switch-arm 14 into contact with plate 15 on the left. On a line having a number of instruments equipped with my invention any two persons may converse with comparative secrecy.

I am aware that switches have been con structed enablinga telephone user to ground either the left or right hand line-wire at will, and I do not claim that feature broadly.

having the arm 14 adapted to be operated by hand and arranged to connect alternately 15 With the right and left branches of the line, the switch-arm 14 being in electrical connection with the telephone-receiver, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature 20 in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK A. CUMINGS.

Witnesses:

N. P. MOL UGHLIN, J. B. RIBLET. 

